Following up on last week's reporting, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is still losing friends fast. In fact, it's rare to see a Republican officeholder lose so much support so quickly from within the party.
To briefly recap, Bachmann and a handful of right-wing colleagues recently launched a bizarre crusade, urging executive branch agencies to launch investigations to determine whether the Muslim Brotherhood has "infiltrated" the American government. Bachmann is specifically concerned about Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is Muslim.
Last week, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) condemned the offensive effort, and soon after, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) characterized Bachmann's accusations as "pretty dangerous." Scott Keyes reports that Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), one of the House's most conservative members, offered criticism of his own.
Note the setting: Sensenbrenner was at a town-hall meeting and heard from a constituent who praised Bachmann's bigoted witch hunt. To his credit, Sensenbrenner defended Abedin and religious tolerance in general.
Making matters slightly worse for the unhinged Minnesotan, the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee went out of their way to make clear that Bachmann's accusations are not supported by any evidence that has been presented to Congress and that the committee did not sanction Bachmann's crusade.
As genuinely heartening as it is to see some high-profile Republicans rebuke Bachmann, Mitt Romney, ostensibly the GOP's new national leader, has said nothing to date.
For her part, Abedin started receiving threats after Bachmann launched her ridiculous attack, and the Clinton aide is now receiving police protection.
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Will Tea Bag extremists also get the attention they deserve for their unique definition of thinking?
Please! McCain could have made the same speech defending the President anytime over the last four years, just as appropriately. We are about to find out who Americans really are. Are they the children of their land-grabbing genocidal fathers and their slaves who seek to control and gather all the benefits unto themselves? Or, are we now children of Turtle Island, one Nation of Humans, sharing the land with Creator's many nations? Many of us are hoping the greedy, selfish and therefore wretchedness among us is waning in the light of loving, families and communities that share this pretty and abundant land with it's first residents and their descendants........chomp on that a bit.
Isn't Turtle Island where Gammera came from? Or am I thinking of Mothra?
That would be Gamera you are thinking of Slinky
Please, please, please Minnesota- vote this crackpot Michelle Bachman out of office. She's an embarrassment to your state and an embarassment to all americans as a member of congress
There is hope! Republican Candidates in the primary:
Stephen Thompson (http://thompsonforcongress.org)
Aubrey Immelman (http://immelman.us)
Democrat in November:
Jim Graves (http://jimgraves.com)
It's not Minnesota, it's one district in Minnesota. It may be the looniest one in the whole state.
Wow. Do Republicans recognize it's an election year and that maybe they ought to try to win over some of the moderates for Romney? They wouldn't have done this two years ago.
I'm not willing to give those Republicans any real credit. It ought to be obvious that they are not criticizing Bachmann because they know she is wrong, they just realize that Bachmann is becoming too much of a public relations liability. And (sarcasm alert) besides, Bachmann is the wrong sex, doncha know.
It is about time to stand up to the ridiculous even obscene comments by elected public officials.
Wow.... that's what an old school conservative is supposed to say, basically, someone's religion is not the government's business.
Anybody surprised by this?
His puppet-masters have not told him what his opinion is yet.
NOT SURPRISED AT ALL. He takes the Fifth regularly, often openly (defiantly) refusing to answer. If it ends up hurting him, he'll mildly condemn her, but if he benefits, from her lunacy, he'll offer cautious praise.
Nope, not a bit surprised, after all he's a coward with no core, spineless, arrogant bully.
As a Minnesotan (And Bachmann's former neighbor) I am just as bewildered as the rest of you. In fact, I find it very difficult to type while using my left hand in a perpetual facepalm.
Jo . . . I wanted to see how her re-election bid was going, so I Googled Bachmann's House race, looking for current polls. There was info about her Democratic challenger, but nothing really came up about how close the race is.
After redistricting, she's running in a district in which she doesn't live. Apparently she didn't think she could win in the district where she resides.
What are you seeing/hearing about this race?
First of all, I shudder to think of what would have happened if she'd gone further in the Republican Primary race! sheesh!
Sadly to say, too many people carry the same bigoted and ignorant views as Bachman. For these people, I would suggest a free trip to any moderate Muslim country to enjoy Ramadan, which is currently in progress. A bit of fasting and sacrifice for the less fortuneate might have a mind opening effect! Otherwise, they are victims of their own arrogance and ignorance.
This is not what America is meant to be.
I have many Muslim friends and not one of them is as Ms. Bachmann has suggested. My friends have often said how they regret what happened on 9/11, but look at where we are 10 years later. Everything is conspiracy if a Muslim is involved. Right down to the POTUS who is not, but this is a country that practiced freedom of religion, correct? So what difference would it make? Oh yea, I forgot - that good ole thing we like to call bigotry, racism, and hate?
I am of the thinkin if Michelle could physically close her eyes at night actually sleep, maybe she might not be so psychotic.
While I applaud the GOP for their reaction to this, I have to wonder if they would jump on this band wagon so fast if it was a male member who did this. It is their tolarance of this kind of stuff in the past that has permitted it to continue.
I agree w/you regarding the gender. I will also add what another commenter state earlier. Would they have done this if it had not been an election year?
Mitt Romney, ostensibly the GOP's new national leader, has said nothing to date.
You make it sound like he's an unprincipled, mendacious coward or something.
If the shoe fits. . .
Hey, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...
Alan, you summed it up, you forgot spineless, no core, panderer, bully, why should this attack against a talented aide to Hillary Clinton solicitate any response. Nothing from Romney on Sandra Fluke, except to say not his choice of words. I think coward is pretty apt along with other descriptors.
Seems Michellle Bachmann does not practice what she represents, you constitution!
A great defense of religious freedom from Rep. Sensenbrenner; my respect level for him has grown considerably. I was also glad to see him call out the commenter when she started to attempt to rationalize the witch hunt by saying that it somehow "crossed the Constitution"; it is good to see that at least our leaders (most of them anyway) seem to know what is actually in the Constitution and refuse to simply lie down and let people like Glen Beck and Michelle Bachmann hijack it for their own political purposes.
Are you now or have you ever been a .... oops, oh wait, that was 60+ years ago.... before her time..... Maybe Sarah could explain the concept of reading books and Michele could study a bit of American History.
Well stated!
I think Huma Abedin should sue Bachmann and all of the other morons in this group for a sum of $500 just to prove a point. You can't say something just for political gain. The real scary thing is that she was voted into office, what is wrong with the people in her district? This woman is a total nutcase, she lives in denial about her husband and is just a strange person.
Very good point and LOL on the denial about Marcthus.
Michelle and her tea bagger entourage continuously complain about the poor and the drain these lazy no good bums have on the treasury. Well, Ms. Switzerland Bachmann and the hubby are great feeders at the public trough: husband's clinic accepts medicare and they get a subsidy on the farm they own, plus the US taxpayer pays her salary, benefits, staff, franking privileges. She does alright on our dime. A truly nasty elephant.
Incredible! Although I'm not surprised Romney has absolutely no integrity, I'm completely taken aback by this display of decency by Republicans! Hallelujah!
Maybe there is some hope for the grand Old Elephant.
She ought to feel deep shame and guilt over inflammatory words that put another person's life in danger. Why isn't she facing charges?
the senator mcarthy of her day...the more things change ,the more they stay the same
The other one, I call her her "The Auto Show Model", was at least funny in a relatively harmless way.
Michele, who thinks she's Joe McCarthy reincarnate, really isn't even a suitable meter maid, and is about a week away from seeing Muslims on her lawn...
Here's hoping she loses her re-election by 90%. Otherwise, I question the IQ levels of her constituents.
The great thing about our democracy is that people are allowed to speak up and say what is on their mind. The downside is even idiots are allowed to do so.
Very refreshing clip to see. No party politics, no fear mongering, I'd love to see more of this from our politicians
I'd love to see more of this from the teapubs. It would make me think they just might have a soul.
I think it's hilarious that the source of her claims also seems to be implicating Grover Norquist: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/22/report-cited-by-bachmann-claims-norquist-linked-to-muslim-brotherhood/
Norquist being a traitor has nothing to do with anything other than coercing politicians to sign a no tax policy thus making those politicians traitors by their signing allegiance to other than whats best for the U.S., if raising taxes is what's needed.
It's not taxes, it's the signing of a pledge.
Is there anyone out there NOT surprised at Republicans signing on to a 13 year olds plan?
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Every time Bachmann escalates this kind of nonsense, I think surely this must be the proverbial straw that will oust her. As a former resident of her district, I can't for the life of me grasp what voters are thinking.
so sad that romney the robot cannot take a stand even on something as bad as this, we all knew she was an idiot but he is just worse not condemning this kind of racial crap. She just proves over and over she is a complete azz